Master of Information Technology
Will Li had worked in IT for many years before discovering Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), where he was considering pursuing the Master of Information Technology (IT), but when he found out they offered English courses with Zero Fees, he was sold on SIT and moved to Invercargill in 2022 to study English for 6 months before starting his masters in 2023.
Originally from China, Will was working a university lecturer majoring in IT before coming to New Zealand. Before he enrolled, Will did his research online and was able collect information on his programme of choice from SIT’s website. “I found the introduction to every course. I had a general idea regarding the papers within the Master of IT.”
When he first started the programme, Will says he was nervous about the challenge of 3 semesters to complete a 40,000-word thesis. “How can I manage to do this in 18 months? Chinese masters’ students need three years,” he pointed out. However, the course structure at SIT was conducive towards achieving the thesis within that timeframe. “We had a very good schedule,” he explained; students were encouraged to get onto finding their thesis topic at the very beginning, and do some preparation early on, such as the methodology. “By the last semester I had enough time to complete my thesis.”
SIT met Will’s expectations because he was able to pursue the research he wanted to as part of the master’s requirements. “Yes, I did plan to carry out some research work related to my background… With the help of my supervisor, I chose a research topic which I was really interested in and finished my thesis based on the research.”
Will says in the master’s programme he learned the complete process of carrying out research work and he gained lots of information in the field of cyber security and IT infrastructure.
One of the more valuable takeaways from Will’s time at SIT was the importance of time management. “Once enrolled the course, there are many assignments waiting to be done. With good time management, every task can be finished smoothly, otherwise it can be stressful.”
“I think I did well on my project and thesis, I found quite a good solution regarding a specific research question, which then helped me finish my thesis.” In fact, Will achieved an A minus, and it was excellent work - his research saw him win the SBS Bank Award for Academic Excellence - Master of Information Technology for his year (2024). “I’m very happy with the results I got. The tutor’s guidance helped me to be successful.”
During his course Will said the high points were having “cool and experienced tutors… who helped us achieve our goals. We received good levels of support.” He also enjoyed the opportunity to get out and about and explore the region on the SIT bus trips run on Saturdays, to places such as Dunedin and Queenstown.
He found the most challenging time was at the beginning of the course, he was new to New Zealand, and it was his first ever experience of a foreign country. “Everything was new to me, plus being far away from family, it’s easy to get depressed. Luckily, I had the chance to make many friends at SIT, we managed to finish the study together.”
Will enjoyed the variety of international students from different countries at SIT’s campus. “I got to know the cultural differences between nations, which I think is interesting… I still have lots of international student friends.” Looking back on his experience, Will acknowledges it was those friendships with his classmates and teachers which helped him to start enjoying his life here.
Currently Will is an IT tutor at SIT; he was able to take advantage of good timing. “SIT was hiring new tutors when I just graduated, and I grasped this opportunity.” And as being an IT tutor is his dream role, Will says he intends to continue in teaching. “My study experience certainly helped me get the job at SIT; I am thankful for this.”